Governor DeSantis signs school choice bill, worrying some special needs advocates

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — It’s being touted as the largest expansion for school choice in the country; a bill singed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis today expands eligibility for school vouchers, allowing around 60,000 additional students to use state money to pay for private, charter, or other home schooling.

Some worry that it comes at a cost for Florida’s most vulnerable students.

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House Bill 7045 essentially combines the existing John McKay Scholarship, and the Gardiner Scholarship, into another existing program, called the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program.  Both McKay and Gardiner scholarships serve students with special needs, but the Gardiner program is specifically for students with profound disabilities, including Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, Cerebral Palsy, and Autism.

Advocates say putting all students into the same category is comparing apples to oranges.

Music therapy and tutoring are helping 5-year-old Luke Richardson thrive, during a time when COVID-19 took away his chances for socialization in school.

“We decided as a family to keep him home,” Luke’s mom, Soren, said.

With Luke at a higher risk for COVID due to Down Syndrome, he stayed home this past year, thanks to the state’s Gardiner scholarship.  Luke’s mom says it was a game changer, allowing the family to buy curriculum materials, pay for tutoring, and for the last two months, put him in a private VPK program.

“There would be no way we’d be able to afford that,” Richardson said.

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Combining the Gardiner scholarship into the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program concerns Richardson and other families, but Palm Bay Republican State Representative Randy Fine says current Gardiner families are protected from seeing any changes to their funding.

“This is the largest expansion of school choice in the United States,” Fine said.  “It’s a historic day for Florida, and a historic day for education, making sure every parent has the best choice for the education of their children.”

Fine introduced the bill.  It opens eligibility to approximately 60,000 additional recipients thanks to a major boost in funding, and expands to include military families and more income levels.

However, some advocates say the programs were separate for a reason. Camille Gardiner is the co-founder of the Down Syndrome Foundation of Central Florida, and her husband Andy helped create the Gardiner Scholarship during his time as Florida Senate President.  It’s a personal mission for their family to help kids like their son, Andrew, who has Down Syndrome.

“While both scholarships serve students with unique abilities, it’s a different category of students,” Gardiner said.

She’s concerned the bill changes the funding matrix for students with special needs, meaning future students who would have received a certain amount of money under the current Gardiner program, could receive less when they apply.

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“You’re putting together a population of students who are different, and when you have to fund them in a similar way, you’re comparing apples and oranges,” Gardiner said.

The Governor even acknowledged those concerns during his Tuesday press conference, promising to watch the impact closely for Gardiner families.  Current Gardiner recipients are grandfathered in, meaning they won’t see changes to their current funding.

Cox Media Group